Chapter 3

However, fond of everyone though he was, Adam found the formality of the immediate family circle constraining. Although he would never have admitted it openly for fear of hurting his parents’ feelings, he felt much more relaxed at his aunt’s home nearby.

His mother’s sister had married a university lecturer and although their home in Pembroke Road was generously sized, it was pleasantly haphazard. Meals were served at odd times and the door was always open to hungry students. His mother privately regarded the whole set up to be dangerously eccentric and deplored such informality.

However, his attraction for his relatives’ house was not just about the relaxed atmosphere but was also home to his best friend in the world. And that was Catherine his cousin, known as Cat to her family.